Concerned about beardies health.

[allsup7]

Before anything we do plan to take her to the vet within the next week but we wanted to see what other owners thought.

For the last couple of weeks, our beardie Ember (1 year) has been sleeping a lot and has lost pretty much all appetite. She'll just rest her head and stay put away in her hides. Even though she isn't eating right now she is using the restroom a couple times a week but it is mostly urine from her drinking while in the bath. If she gets woken up she is still pretty aware and always turns her head and follows you around the room. I understand that most of these are signs of brumation but what we're most concerned about is she is losing weight and pretty quickly. She used to have a pretty beefy gut but as time has passed you're now able to see more of her bone structure in certain parts of her body but mostly near the start of her tail.

She is currently kept in a 40 gallon tank with a 150w heat lamp and a heat emitter for a little extra help since it does get a little chilly in the room she is in, Tank is usually kept at 95-100 degrees and she is currently under a 12% Arcadia uvb strip. When eating she is pretty much on a strict diet of greens and dubia roaches with the occasional meal worms when she is being picky. She is currently just on paper towel that gets changed out very frequently and every time she uses the restroom. We give her baths 1-2 times a week and is always very alert whenever she is in the bath and for a while afterward, but always just goes back to the same old sleep state. I don't believe she is impacted since there isn't much in her everyday life for her to be impacted with.

We just want to make sure our baby is okay and are hoping for some tips. This is our first possible brumation and are still learning. Just very concerned about the weight. I will try and be as active as I can and will answer any questions you might have. Thank you for reading.

 

[Sadie]

Before anything we do plan to take her to the vet within the next week but we wanted to see what other owners thought.

For the last couple of weeks, our beardie Ember (1 year) has been sleeping a lot and has lost pretty much all appetite. She'll just rest her head and stay put away in her hides. Even though she isn't eating right now she is using the restroom a couple times a week but it is mostly urine from her drinking while in the bath. If she gets woken up she is still pretty aware and always turns her head and follows you around the room. I understand that most of these are signs of brumation but what we're most concerned about is she is losing weight and pretty quickly. She used to have a pretty beefy gut but as time has passed you're now able to see more of her bone structure in certain parts of her body but mostly near the start of her tail.

She is currently kept in a 40 gallon tank with a 150w heat lamp and a heat emitter for a little extra help since it does get a little chilly in the room she is in, Tank is usually kept at 95-100 degrees and she is currently under a 12% Arcadia uvb strip. When eating she is pretty much on a strict diet of greens and dubia roaches with the occasional meal worms when she is being picky. She is currently just on paper towel that gets changed out very frequently and every time she uses the restroom. We give her baths 1-2 times a week and is always very alert whenever she is in the bath and for a while afterward, but always just goes back to the same old sleep state. I don't believe she is impacted since there isn't much in her everyday life for her to be impacted with.

We just want to make sure our baby is okay and are hoping for some tips. This is our first possible brumation and are still learning. Just very concerned about the weight. I will try and be as active as I can and will answer any questions you might have. Thank you for reading.

There is a issue w/ the losing weight -- dragons can lose a small amount of weight during brumation but w/ the sound of it shes losing a lot --- I was going to suggest a parasite test but please take the fecal in NO enemas!!!!!!!!!! Bathing 1-2 times per week is a lot -- is she drinking every time she is in the bath??? Where is the UVB? Is it on top of the screen or inside the tank and how old is the bulb? The UVB can be the issue if its not properly placed for the screen on the tank or if its too old they do expire and need to be changed out every 10-11 months-- dragons will not eat or stop eating if they are not getting he proper UVB -- the temps in the tank at night are what? Are you getting surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer?

 

[allsup7]

There is a issue w/ the losing weight -- dragons can lose a small amount of weight during brumation but w/ the sound of it shes losing a lot --- I was going to suggest a parasite test but please take the fecal in NO enemas!!!!!!!!!! Bathing 1-2 times per week is a lot -- is she drinking every time she is in the bath??? Where is the UVB? Is it on top of the screen or inside the tank and how old is the bulb? The UVB can be the issue if its not properly placed for the screen on the tank or if its too old they do expire and need to be changed out every 10-11 months-- dragons will not eat or stop eating if they are not getting he proper UVB -- the temps in the tank at night are what? Are you getting surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer?

Yes, parasite test is the reason we want to take her to the vet. We’re trying to bath her a little extra right now just trying to keep her hydrated and i’ve seen and heard of other owners bathing a little extra during brumation. she doesn’t drink every time in the bath it’s more like every 2-3 she will drink a lot and pass the urine the next day. We recently thought it could be the uvb because we used to have a 12% and we went up to a 14% but once this all started happening we went back down just to be safe. the uvb has always been on top of the screen ever since she was a baby and haven’t had any issues with it. she has a tree right under it so she can go to different levels and get as much as she wants (with the top being fairly close). With that this uvb isn’t even a week old and the previous one wasn’t over 6 months because i had just changed it. at night her temps are anywhere from 70s - mid 80s. and yes i use multiple different thermometers and don’t believe temps are any issue.

 

[Sadie]

Yes, parasite test is the reason we want to take her to the vet. We’re trying to bath her a little extra right now just trying to keep her hydrated and i’ve seen and heard of other owners bathing a little extra during brumation. she doesn’t drink every time in the bath it’s more like every 2-3 she will drink a lot and pass the urine the next day. We recently thought it could be the uvb because we used to have a 12% and we went up to a 14% but once this all started happening we went back down just to be safe. the uvb has always been on top of the screen ever since she was a baby and haven’t had any issues with it. she has a tree right under it so she can go to different levels and get as much as she wants (with the top being fairly close). With that this uvb isn’t even a week old and the previous one wasn’t over 6 months because i had just changed it. at night her temps are anywhere from 70s - mid 80s. and yes i use multiple different thermometers and don’t believe temps are any issue.

If the screen is a fine mesh she's not getting enough uvb- please adjust-inside tank 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor temps at night should be 65-75 nothing over 75 and in this case I would keep it low 80's for now-- dragons need cooler temps at night when they are healthy- NO ENEMAS at the vet- I would get her on oxbow critical care herbivore - it is very good and will start putting weight back on her hopefully - the vet may have it or you can order it on line at Amazon - the low uvb exposure will cause lack of appetite illnesses to develop and brumation like behavior